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Horticulture Principles and Practices

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possible system of nomenclature. However, it has been proposed that all plant names be<br />

reduced to a 7-letter acronym, easily used in computer databases. Four letters taken from<br />

the genus, three from the species. For example, CLITARB would be the name for Clitoria<br />

arborescens. However, this acronym also would fit Clitoria arborea. Acer saccharum<br />

<strong>and</strong> Acer saccharinum would be ACERSAC. It was not adopted. Then, a proposal<br />

for a 12-letter uninominal acronym has gathered little support.<br />

Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars (1793–1864) was a French botanist who<br />

specialized in orchids of the French isl<strong>and</strong>s of Bourbon (currently Reunion) <strong>and</strong> Madagascar<br />

(currently Mauritius). He proposed that generic names included a portion of the<br />

family name. Thus, the orchid genus Habenaria would become Habenorchis. It was not<br />

accepted. Today, paleobotanists find fossil nomenclature troublesome by mixing generic<br />

nomenclature with morphology.<br />

Jean B.A.P.M. de Lamarck (1744–1829) was a French biologist who wrote the<br />

Flora Francoise. He made two important contributions. His flora included synoptic<br />

artifical keys for plant segregation <strong>and</strong> identification. Second, he introduced principles<br />

of natural system classification with a set of rules for natural grouping of species, <strong>and</strong><br />

rules for treating families <strong>and</strong> orders.<br />

Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu (1748–1836) was French <strong>and</strong> the nephew of three<br />

Jussieu botanists. He founded the Musee d’Historie Naturalelle de Paris. His Genera<br />

plantarum published 4 Aug 1789 resulted from his arrangement of the Versailles’ garden<br />

in the Linnaean system. He arranged the genera into families, of which over 100 families<br />

are intact today <strong>and</strong> were described accurately.<br />

Augustin Pyramus de C<strong>and</strong>olle (1778–1841) was a French educated Swiss. His<br />

Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis (1816–1873) exp<strong>and</strong>ed the Jussieu<br />

system <strong>and</strong> demonstrated the inadequacy of the Linnean system. His objective was to<br />

describe <strong>and</strong> classify every known vascular plant. Seven volumes were produced before<br />

his death, ten by his son afterwards.<br />

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) published the controversial Origin of species. He<br />

concluded that species are dynamic, viable population systems which change with time<br />

to form lineages of closely related organisms. This has led taxonomists to pursue a phylogenetic<br />

system of classification, from more primitive plants to more advance ones.<br />

ERA OF INTERNATIONAL RULES<br />

In 1843, an international zoological congress adopted a Zoological Code of Nomenclature.<br />

It emphasized priority, giving credit to the discoverer of the unknown taxon (general<br />

term to indicate any position at any rank). Also, scientific binominals would include an<br />

author citation, <strong>and</strong> rules for new combinations resulting from transfer.<br />

Alphonse Louis Pyramus de C<strong>and</strong>olle (1806–1893) was a Swiss botanist <strong>and</strong><br />

Augustin’s son. He organized an international botanic congress in Paris in 1867. This was<br />

the first effort at st<strong>and</strong>ardization <strong>and</strong> legislation of taxonomic practices, with six principles.<br />

The objective was to put the past in order <strong>and</strong> provide for a stable future. Adoption<br />

resulted in the publication of the Lois de la nomenclautre botanique. Priority was the fundamental<br />

principle, <strong>and</strong> rules maintained usage of Linnaeus by principle of priority with<br />

some modification. Modern plant nomenclature would begin with Linnaeus. However,<br />

they did not designate a work nor a date, creating problems later. Plant nomenclature was<br />

independent of the Zoological Code. It established rules for valid (follows rules) <strong>and</strong> effective<br />

(accessible distribution) publication. Latin is used for scientific names regardless<br />

of their derivation. There is only one correct name for a taxon circumscribed at a rank,<br />

<strong>and</strong> rules were established for its determination <strong>and</strong> synonyms (rejected names). Plant<br />

categories (the hierarchal classification scheme) were established. Division was used,<br />

whereas zoologists used “phylum”. Rules of nomenclature are retroactive, unless<br />

expressly limited. Also, examples were provided for fuller underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the rules.<br />

Author citation was adopted, with rules on name transfers. This is the most common<br />

2.2 Taxonomic Groups 39

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